CHOC Pediatrician receives Boys Club 2021 DreamMaker Award

Since 1998, CHOC pediatrician Dr. Mark Colon has been providing care at CHOC’s Santa Ana clinic at the Boys & Girls Club – the first freestanding, full-service clinic located at a Boys & Girls Club in the nation.

This year, Dr. Colon was presented the 2021 DreamMaker Award by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast, in part for creating a health-and-safety protocol last year in response to COVID-19 that has become a model for Boys & Girls Clubs around the country.

Dr. Colon, a first generation Mexican American who was born in Lynwood and raised in Brea, has an affinity for the area’s Latinx community and underserved youth – and is incredibly beloved in his community.

Gabriela Velasco has seen Dr. Colon for years: Her 15-year-old son Jair has been under Dr. Colon’s care since infancy, and Dr. Colon has helped the family navigate complex medical needs.

But beyond her own family, Gabriela has seen firsthand Dr. Colon’s impact on the Pico Pio neighborhood – named after the elementary school across the street from the clinic. She lived and worked in the area at the time of the launch of the clinic, where Dr. Colon has worked since its opening, and she’s watched how the community has changed ever since.

“When the clinic first started, a lot of people didn’t believe the doctors,” she said. “And now they believe him. Dr. Colon is my biggest inspiration. He could work in any type of clinic, but he chose this neighborhood because he knows we have the biggest need. He’s inspired us to be the best parents we can be.”

We recently caught up with Dr. Colon on his career; how the community and his patients have inspired him; and what the clinic means for patients and families in the community.